By Olimatou Coker
Sergeant Sainey Demba, a prison officer has recently been charged and dismissed from active service, and handed over to the police for further investigation following the escape of a prisoner Babucarr Mankabou.
Speaking to The Standard on the matter, Luke Jatta, Gambia Prison Services spokesman, said the incident occurred on 15th May.
“The officer in charge, Sergeant Sainey Demba, reportedly left the station for an unknown destination. Prior to his departure, officers had been informed that one of the inmates, who had been causing disturbances and making noise, would be moved to another cell for separation purposes. However, it was later discovered that the inmate had instead been taken to the cell where Mankabou was being held,” he explained
He added that according to information gathered during the investigation, there had allegedly been prior communication between Sergeant Sainey Demba and Mankabou and that at some point, family members were also said to have communicated with Mankabou using Sergeant Demba’s phone.
“Before leaving, Sergeant Demba allegedly removed one inmate during the night and returned him to the cell where Mankabou was also detained. He then locked the cell and left. Since the keys were kept at the security office, it was unusual for him to depart before the morning handover.
“The prison operates with a discharge or handover book in which officers officially record the transfer of duties. Investigators found that Sergeant Demba prepared the handover note without properly completing the takeover procedure. When the incoming officers arrived to conduct the inmate count, Sergeant Demba was nowhere to be found. During the count, they realised that Mankabou was missing. As a result, the officer scheduled to take over refused to sign because an inmate had escaped,” PRO Jatta explained.
He said consequently, the prison authorities summoned Sergeant Demba for questioning. Investigations reportedly established negligence of duty and abandonment of post without authorisation.
Jatta disclosed that Mankabou, Bissau Guinean, had previously escaped custody, apprehended and returned to prison. He said during that earlier escape attempt, he allegedly had an altercation with prison officers and was shot, which left him disabled.
“This raised an important question: If Mankabou was disabled, how was he able to escape again? The belief, therefore, is that there may have been a conspiracy involved, particularly due to the alleged negligence of the officer in charge, which ultimately led to the escape of Babucarr Mankabou,” he stated.
